[radar-man]

By the way - these are normal settings of the camera. No enhancements of special setting necessary, other than the magnifying glass.

[4speed]

Thanks for the great tip, very useful for me

[belfastdispatcher]

Well, there are apps for our phones that allow you to take a picture of a business card and it will detect(if the picture is useable) all of the persons info and automatically make a contact for him/her.

Also, I think the point isn't necessarily about business cards but documents in general are hard to get good shots of with the 9900.

That's the thing, documents are perfectly clear when you're talking A4 or even half of A4 size page.

[olblueyez]

Complain all you want, but when you bought the Bold you got other features the other Blackberry's don't have. The 9790 has AF but you loose processor speed, 5Ghz wireless, loose screen size, you loose keypad size, and the list goes on. Same with all the other models.

Why can't people accept that features are not free for RIM?

Can you not by a 9810 or 9850/9860 if the "Phone Camera" is so important?

Are the 9810 and 9850/9860 not nice phones??? I would love to have a larger screen like the 98 hundred series phones have, do you see everyone moaning about the size of the screen on the 9900/9300? No, you don't.

Personally, after using the on screen keypad on Karen's 9810, I often wonder if I should have bought the 9860. The bigger screen is awesome. If it were me and I could not keep myself from moaning, I would skip the 9900/9930 and go right to the 9850/9860.

What's more important, the camera or the screen size?

How many form factors are available on BlackBerry and how many do Android and Apple have???

If you have options then why gripe?

WTH

[BBOttawa]

olblueyez, I'm as big a fan of BB phones as they get, but RIM didn't have to choose the way they did, they could have put an AF camera in the Bold 9900, or made it a bit thicker if it wouldn't have fit. The point is that making consumers choose between features unnecessarily is why RIM is losing market share in the US. It should be best in class for almost all features if they want to regain market share.

Having said that I'm happy with my Bold 9900, but realize what it could have been at very little cost or effort, so while a BB fanboy like me is happy, others just choose the phone that takes great pictures at all distances, cause that sells phones right or wrong. Yes the camera on the 9900 is okay, it should be great as it's the flagship.

[Jberry32]

People need to quit complaining about the 99XX's camera.

Almost everyone knows, or can find out very easily, that the 99XX doesn't have AF for whatever reason. If that fact makes you mad, or not like the phone. Then DON'T BUY IT! That's the best way to show RIM how you feel. If AF is that important to you, then the 99XX isn't the phone for you (it really is that simple). If you bought a 99XX and are now complaining about the camera, then it's your own fault, you knew what you were buying. Also, almost every place you can buy a 99XX you get some sort of trial period (I personally haven't seen a place that doesn't), so you had a chance to return the phone if you didn't like the camera.

So in conclusion, if you're a 99XX user who complains about the camera, STOP, you're only making yourself look like a completely uninformed, lazy, foolish moron. Seems pretty simple to me...

Why do people NEED to stop complaining about the camera? This is what these forums are for!

This site has people from all over the world and, believe me, NOT in every country you get a trial period in which you can play with the phone and return it if you are not happy with it.

I am a huge BB fan but that doesn't take away the fact that the camera sucks!

[belfastdispatcher]

Why do people NEED to stop complaining about the camera? This is what these forums are for!

This site has people from all over the world and, believe me, NOT in every country you get a trial period in which you can play with the phone and return it if you are not happy with it.

I am a huge BB fan but that doesn't take away the fact that the camera sucks!

The camera only sucks if you take photos of small objects, for anything else the 9900 is much better.

I take far more pictures of my kids then small objects.

It's easy to say the 9900 camera sucks but you're ignoring the parts where the 9900 camera is outstanding.

The only complaint I have is lack of zoom in video.

[ubizmo]

Why do people NEED to stop complaining about the camera? This is what these forums are for!

I thought these forums were mainly for sharing information, discoveries, and other knowledge. "This camera sucks" is none of those. People who come here and read these threads in an effort to find out about the camera might want to know more than that. They might want to know that you can, in fact, take readable photos of business cards, receipts, and other documents, even if those photos aren't outstanding. They might want to know that the camera is better than an AF camera for photographing busy, active scenes. They might want to know that the scene mode options are improved over earlier BB cameras. They might want to know that the video camera doesn't zoom.

They might want to know that the tiresomely repeated assertion that you can't take closeup photos at all on the 9900 is simply false.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Palmvim]

I tried this method. It works but still a bit blurry. At least this will help. Is there a way to get better picture in general?



Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[ubizmo]

I tried this method. It works but still a bit blurry. At least this will help. Is there a way to get better picture in general?

Have you tried turning on Image Stabilization in Camera>Options? It helps.

[BravoBBY]

I use my camera for work a lot, I work in inventory. I use the camera to take pictures of barcodes, documents, and papers. I had a 9700 before and it worked great really close. The 9900 still works good.... As long as you don't get to close to the object you are taking a picture of. This gives you a small picture but with pinch to zoom and the higher MP rating its a non-issue for me.

[pythons]

But that's simply false. The photo I posted at the start of this thread is proof that you can take a perfectly acceptable photograph of a business card with the 9900.

Another photo of the other side of the same card, closer:

Click to view quoted image


Crystal clear? No, but unless you're planning to have someone's business card enlarged for framing, the bottom line is this: If you're a business person trying to decide whether you'll be able to get readable images of business cards, menus, and the like, then don't worry. You can. The proof is in this thread. If you need sharp high-quality images of small objects like jewelry, butterfly wings, or that sort of thing, the 9900 camera won't work for you. But if you need to take quick pictures of scenes of activity and motion, it'll work better for you than the 9780 camera would.

You may not have an issue with an exercise in theatrics so that you can produce a functional picture of a business card...
...The majority of people in the market for a "flagship" business smartphone would rather not engage in such activities.
...The numbers of 99xx's sold demonstrate that clearly enough.

Try your theatrics with a software key or perhaps an on-screen i.p. address for a computer you are working on...
...I look forward to your postings of things like that.

Things I might add my old Bold 9650 with a 3.2 mp auto-focus camera had absolutely ZERO problem in performing...
...When professional reviews of EDOF cameras suggest using a magnifying glass to assist in taking those kinds of pictures.
...People should just admit defeat and get it that RIM soiled the bed when it comes to their 99xx camera. - Simple as that.

[olblueyez]

Defeat is when you never stop moaning about something you can't change. Like I said, RIM makes more than one phone.

[ubizmo]

You may not have an issue with an exercise in theatrics so that you can produce a functional picture of a business card...
...The majority of people in the market for a "flagship" business smartphone would rather not engage in such activities.

One last time. The purpose of this thread is informational, so that people who have 9900s can learn how to take usable close-up photos, and so that people who are considering getting a 9900 can make an informed decision. The actual information was first (to my knowledge) shared by belfastdispatcher in another thread. I thought it would be useful to have a separate thread for this purpose.

The only theatrics involved are yours, in attempting to use this thread to express your righteous indignation against RIM.

[albee 1]

+1 ridesno, let's have some more whine with that cheese. I'm really p*ssed my Canon SLR won't make phone calls!
Thank you ubizmo for clarifying the reason for the post. Everyone else needs to order a Waaburger with those French Cries!

Flatulated from my Crack at wapforums.crackberry.com

[belfastdispatcher]

You may not have an issue with an exercise in theatrics so that you can produce a functional picture of a business card...
...The majority of people in the market for a "flagship" business smartphone would rather not engage in such activities.
...The numbers of 99xx's sold demonstrate that clearly enough.

Try your theatrics with a software key or perhaps an on-screen i.p. address for a computer you are working on...
...I look forward to your postings of things like that.

Things I might add my old Bold 9650 with a 3.2 mp auto-focus camera had absolutely ZERO problem in performing...
...When professional reviews of EDOF cameras suggest using a magnifying glass to assist in taking those kinds of pictures.
...People should just admit defeat and get it that RIM soiled the bed when it comes to their 99xx camera. - Simple as that.

So what do you suggest people like me that happen to like the 9900 edof camera do?

[olblueyez]

I have to agree with some of the others, I wouldn't be caught dead in a ditch snapping a photo of someone's card.

[pythons]

So what do you suggest people like me that happen to like the 9900 edof camera do?

Simply continue to enjoy it would be my suggestion....
...Unfortunately for RIM you are part of a rapidly vanishing customer base.

My rant against RIM is only that they should put flagship tech in their flagship device...
...Don't put fisherprice tech in what they call their flagship device.
...And for Pete's sake - at least have the popular things like google maps be able to work.

[thecsman]

Simply continue to enjoy it would be my suggestion....
...Unfortunately for RIM you are part of a rapidly vanishing customer base.

My rant against RIM is only that they should put flagship tech in their flagship device...
...Don't put fisherprice tech in what they call their flagship device.
...And for Pete's sake - at least have the popular things like google maps be able to work.

Just post a card photo with your fantastic 32GB $800 iphone4s. Shut us all up. Finish this.

[tda_tda]

I know your'e not making excuses for the manufacturer... it's making the best out of the device we have chosen... thanks for the tip OP... I feel sorry for those who have chosen the 99XX series yet still cannot live with the fact that they have the non AF camera.. lol..

[belfastdispatcher]

Simply continue to enjoy it would be my suggestion....
...Unfortunately for RIM you are part of a rapidly vanishing customer base.

My rant against RIM is only that they should put flagship tech in their flagship device...
...Don't put fisherprice tech in what they call their flagship device.
...And for Pete's sake - at least have the popular things like google maps be able to work.

Really? I thought Rim went from 70 million to 75 million subscribers? Do you have other figures that show they have less customers?

Google maps app is made by Google, I would direct your rant towards them.

[ubizmo]

I haven't had any problem with Google Maps on my 9900. I use it all the time.

Anyway, here are two more examples of decent close-up text photos with the 9900, from another thread.

[[email protected]]

ubizmo, you look like a mature man, so i can ask you directly.
why, but why do you try to find a good excuse for RIM? the lack of autofocus is absolutely incredible. you produce a mobile phone in 2011 with specifications for 2007 and i have to nod my head and to accept it as the ultimate truth in the world?
i payed the full price for the phone, the amount of money was enough to buy a lot of mobile phones from competition. i choosed blackberry for the email, important to my business.
even so, we have to admit that the battery and the camera are equals to 0. as i said on another thread, the partenership between me and Rim is not honest. they lied to me.

My Curve 8900 took the best pictures of any BlackBerry I have ever owned. I've owned a TON of them. I stopped with the Torch 9800 and moved away from the platform.

[ubizmo]

My Curve 8900 took the best pictures of any BlackBerry I have ever owned. I've owned a TON of them. I stopped with the Torch 9800 and moved away from the platform.

Seems like a reasonable decision. My BBs have been an 8320, 8900, 9780, and now 9900. I've been able to take good pictures with all of them. For me, a decent camera is a fairly important feature in a smartphone, since I seldom carry a separate camera with me.

I was aware of the lack of auto-focus before I bought the 9900. It was a consideration, but I had a look back at the few thousand photos I took with my other BBs and noticed that maybe 1-2% of them were the sort of close-ups where auto-focus would be a real advantage. Based on that, I decided the 9900 had enough other things I like to make it worth buying.

[swiftex]

My Curve 8900 took the best pictures of any BlackBerry I have ever owned. I've owned a TON of them. I stopped with the Torch 9800 and moved away from the platform.

For some like myself the camera is not a consideration to determine what I'll purchase.

The fact it may have a camera is a bonus.